Great Friends Make You Greater...GO AFTER GREATNESS!

Everyday I thank God for the beautiful friends that He has richly added to my life. Seriously. I am beyond privileged to be connected with such a great bunch. They are gifted, intelligent, trustworthy people that operate at the highest level of integrity, without any sort of pretense. Most importantly, as if that's not enough, they freely allow me to be who I am. Their huge hearts and wide arms embrace everything about me- my strengths, weaknesses, forth-coming attitude, etc. When I'm in their company, I know that I am undeniably amongst friends.

In the past, things were very different.  People(and cliques) that I associated with required me to be something more or less than myself; as if who I am was not shaped quite right for their mold. As a result, I habitually buried my identity and took on whatever personality was expected of me for the moment. After all, this was a "perfectly reasonable" position to take if you were looking to have successful relationships in your life. There was just one problem. I was not good at it!!! I failed miserably.  I was horrible at being something other than myself.

Well, one day I was taking my normal stroll around the bayou and God spoke to my heart and said "Did I ever tell you that you weren't good enough?" I said, "No, my Lord. You have never ever said anything like that to me. That day revolutionized my life! I immediately understood that those who were causing me to question my identity were not the ones I needed to associate with. I let go of old friends and old habits. Even more, I stopped accommodating other people's expectations and started living MY LIFE!

Reflecting back, I'd like to share some of the wisdom I gained that day. No matter what, and at all cost, stay true to yourself and stay true to God. No one knows you like you and your Creator. When you honor the Creator, you'll honor his creation and others will not easily sway you to dishonor yourself. Live your life from an honest place. Accept the good, the bad, and the ugly. Truthfully speaking, not everything you see will be good, but you'll be free to deal with it in a healthy way. Begin to see yourself as a unique, beautiful, and intelligent creature, asking God to reveal the brilliance of all that He created you to be. You were wonderfully and fearfully made!

Embrace those that honor and value you...people that cause your spirit to come alive. They consistently make you smile in good and bad times. They're not only good-natured people, they're great friends. And ultimately, great friends make you greater.

*Celebrate who you are, celebrate Your Creator, and then celebrate those who celebrate you!

 If you know someone who needs to hear this, PASS IT ON. Stay blessed.